Frostbitten
by narniaXisXhome
Summary: Jack Frost lost his love 300 years ago when the Moon made him into what he is now, a Guardian. The only thing he remembers from is past life is the memory of his sister that Tooth gave him. Now, 300 years later, he sees a girl while fulfilling his Guardian duties... and gets a flash of something. She looks so familiar, but he has no idea how that could be... T just in case.
1. 300 Years Ago

**300 Years Ago...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Rise of The Guardians characters.**

"Sweetheart," her mother called. "Come on inside, you'll catch a cold!"

The girl sat in her childhood swing, absentmindedly swaying back and forth as she stared at the ground. She didn't care if she got a cold. In fact, these past few days the cold had been more welcoming than usual for some reason. Every time the cold air brought a new flush to her cheeks or the tip of her nose grew numb she swore, though she had no idea why, she could feel Jack's presence. Evasn though she knew he was dead and would never come back. It sounded so silly; she would never tell her mom that was why she moped around outside when her mother asked why she couldn't come inside and be sad.

That stupid stupid crazy boy. Everyone kept telling her, "Jack wouldn't want you to be sad, he was all about fun!" Blah, blah, blah. Fun was what got that idiot killed. Pippa, his little sister who he died saving, told the story all the time. Yes, he did die saving her, but if he hadn't been out there on the flimsy ice messing around and trying to "have fun" in the first place, he wouldn't have been in that situation and he wouldn't have died.

But even if this cold spell was his death, it still didn't explain why she swore she could feel him every time she was outside. "Curse you, Jackson Overland," she muttered under her breath. With each word her breath made clouds in the cold air. "Leaving me here like this." It didn't help that she always chose to sit in this swing too, this swing that so many memories had been made.

_"I'm scared," she said quietly._

_"Oh come on. It's really fun. You'll see," Jack coaxed, gently pushing the swing so that it swayed softly back and forth._

_"Okay. Just a little bit," she relented. He walked back a few steps with the ropes of the swing in his hands and let go. She closed her eyes, then realized the swing was already back in Jack's hands. "Okay, a little higher," she said, becoming braver by the second. They were only 5, and as many times as she had seen Jack have loads of fun in these things, she was always too scared she would fall right out. There were no buckles or belts to keep her in the swing, after all. Jack stepped back two more steps, about to let go._

_"Not too high!" she squealed._

_"You mean like this?" little Jack asked with a mischievous smirk on his face, a smirk that went with him into his teenage years. The same way he always had a playful glint in those big brown eyes. He ran back with the swing and then let go as hard as he could. She went flying in the air with a scream._

_"No! Jack! Get me down!" she shut her eyes tightly. It was fun, she had to admit. He ran forward to grab the swing, skidding in the dirt as he tried to help her stop. "You knew what I meant. Not too high means not too high!"_

_"You call that high?" 5 year old Jack asked. "I can show you flying! It's so much fun."_

_She shook her head. "No. I'll fall out."_

_"I'm right here," Jack said softly, trying to calm her fears. "I'll catch you. Trust me, flying is the best."_

A single tear slid down her cheek at one of her first memories of Jack and this swing. She watched it fall and splat on the snow below. Fun. He was always about having fun, so carefree about everything and always trying to bring cheer to the ones he loved. In the end it was fun that killed him.

Her family had no idea how much Jack meant to her. They knew they had been best friends, but they had no idea why she was taking his death so hard. We all lose someone, they said. No one will ever replace Jack, but you can't just keep on like this. She had no motivation to do anything. All hope, all _fun_, had drained out of her with this loss of her best friend, her boyfriend. No one would ever replace Jack indeed. No one would ever love her like he had, no one would ever show her as many of the good things in life as he had. No one would ever fill that hole that his love left behind.

"Coming," she called to her mom, swearing to herself she would leave all memories of Jack right there in the snow.


	2. Chapter 1: Present Day

**Chapter 1: Present Day**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Rise of The Guardians characters.**

Jack Frost touched the window with one finger, causing a thin sheet of ice to swirl on it. He was currently in Texas, a place he didn't normally visit much. It wasn't that he didn't like it less than other states or that he didn't want to help the children believe, but for as long as he could remember people got suspicious when he gave them snow days here or even just put ice on the roads. He had no idea why they couldn't have as much fun in the snow as anyone else, but for some reason the other Guardians, Bunny especially, always stopped him from getting too crazy here. He let them have a huge snow day on Valentine's Day once, before he was a Guardian, and that was the most fun he ever had because the kids here appreciated it more than anyone. But they never got a white Christmas.

He looked through the window to make sure no one had seen. It was fairly sunny out, even though it was the beginning of December, and someone would really have a cow if they saw ice on the window in 85 degree weather.

One girl inside the classroom perked up in surprise. _Now you've done it, Jack. _He should have made sure no one was watching before he went and did something like that. She must have been staring at the window the entire time, aching to get out of class. "It's no fun here," he said to himself. And to the girl, but it wasn't like she could see him or even hear him. She must be at least 17 or 18. No way would she believe even if he did give them the cold a lot of the kids were longing for. "Sorry," he muttered. "I wish I could do something."

What would the harm be in having some fun here? He didn't see anything wrong with it. He knew now that he was a Guardian he couldn't be so careless, but his center was fun after all and that was the reason the Moon had chosen him in the first place.

* * *

Des stared out the window. The teacher was droning on and on and on, going off on complete tangents. If she was going to be forced to be here she at least wanted to learn what she was supposed to learn, not someone's life story.

Her eyes were going blurry from staring in one place for so long. She was dozing off, daydreaming about what she was going to do that afternoon and quickly realizing she had nothing _to _do besides lay in bed and watch TV shows. But she knew it wasn't just clouded vision or her imagination when a swirl of ice that seemed almost like a floral pattern appeared on the window. She sat up in surprise. It was like 100 degrees outside, unless the weather decided to suddenly go bipolar. What the...?

Just as quickly the ice faded-it didn't melt, more like it just disappeared almost, it just faded like your breath does when it fogs up the window.

No way. It had to be her imagination. That was a part of her daydream because she wanted snow and cold and ice like everyone else had in December. She did not actually just see _ice _form on a window that the sun was beating so hard down on. There was some logical explanation, it was something else, not actually ice. She wished it was though, but then if she pointed it out to someone or even said she thought she had seen ice on the window she'd get laughed at and be labeled as crazy. No. No way. She didn't fit in enough as it was.

She fought the urge to stand right up and walk over to the window. Maybe when class was over she'd look out, make sure nobody was out there just trying to prank her or mess with her. She'd probably still look insane even if she did that. Des decided to just stare out intently right now and try to see the best she could...

"Miss Guthrie."

Of course. So cliche. She _would_ get called on for not paying attention out of everyone in the class doing the exact same thing.

"Yes?"

"I asked a question."

Obviously. "Could you repeat it?"

* * *

The girl stared right at him. _She can't see me though... can she? _He almost jumped back in shock. It couldn't be... He knew that face, knew those blue eyes, that long sleek dark brown hair. He had no idea how-he didn't come here often, and he thought maybe he had known her a few years ago from some other place when she was a kid, but that was highly unlikely too. He was very good at remembering and putting names with faces, what with being immortal and all, so he couldn't imagine why nothing was coming to him.

The teacher pulled her attention away to the front of the class, and Jack tried to shake off the feeling of familiarity, vague as it was but still there. It was all in his head, he told himself. He jumped down from the window and up into the air, leaving a path of cool behind him, off to go somewhere more fun to clear his head.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Rise of The Guardians characters.**

"Hey, Jack," Toothiana said, almost like a question, as she fluttered around helping her little tooth sprites prepare for the night's duties. "Didn't expect to see you today." Baby Tooth flew up to him almost immediately and began chirping and flapping around. He laughed and patted her on the head with one finger.

Jack followed Toothiana through the air, zooming up and down as she spoke to the fairies that were all over the Tooth Palace.

"Whoa, you're long overdue for some fun," he joked at the fast pace she always seemed to be working. "I just thought I'd come liven the place a bit. Work is so boring."

"You know I love doing this, silly." She smiled. "What actually brings you here, Jack?"

"I have a serious question," Jack said. Normally he would have joked around some more, saying things like what, I can't just stop by? But he decided to cut straight to the point because she was busy enough getting her fairies to all the children and getting the gifts ready, as well as placing the teeth in the capsules that held their memories.

"Serious? Jack Frost? I don't like the sound of that," Tooth joked, and he smirked. "What's on your mind?"

"You remember when you told me when someone needs to remember something important you help them, and I got my memories of my sister back?"

"Yes..."

"Are there... I mean, are those the only memories that were in my teeth?"

She landed so she could talk to him face to face. "What brought this on, Jack?"

"I just... if there were something else that was pretty important, the memory would have been there right? Are there any more teeth? Or is there any way to get back the rest of my memory?"

"Jack." She placed her hands on his ice cold shoulders but didn't flinch and looked him straight in the eyes. "Are you going to tell me what's going on? It's December, you know. Not the time for you to be distracted. So if something's on your mind... maybe we can all help and then you can get back on track."

"No I'm not distracted, I was just wondering. Forget it, forget I asked. I guess the answer is no, then. I'll see you, Tooth." He started to levitate off the ground, picking up his staff by the middle.

Her hands were still on his shoulders, so she pushed him back down. "You'll think it's stupid. You'll think I'm crazy," he said, knowing he wasn't getting out of this yet still itching to have his questions answered. He silently cursed the Moon for not giving him his full memory of his past life, before the accident and before he became Jack Frost. The teeth that showed him his fate and his little sister Pippa had been a blessing, because he never thought he'd get any piece of the puzzle that was his past back. But now he wanted to know everything, not just about his family and not just about why the Moon chose him to be a guardian. He could see fuzzy pictures on the edge, but there still huge gaps he needed filled.

"I'm here for you, Jack. We all are. We won't think you're crazy."

He sighed. "I... saw someone today. Someone I think I might know."

"Someone you think you might know?"

"From... my past. Maybe. I'm not sure. Which is why I was asking about the other memories."

"Your past? Jack, even if you did remember more, you couldn't have seen someone now. That was 300 years ago. That's impossible."

Jack wanted to just agree with her, to brush it off. He _knew _it was impossible. But he couldn't stop this feeling. He knew he had never seen that girl before in his life... this life anyway. And yet he felt like he knew her, not only the familiarity of her face, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he actually _knew _her. He knew humans couldn't possibly live for 300 years. But then again... he was a human once. He knew he should drop it, that he was insane, but even if his former life held no answers about this girl at least he could learn a little more about who he used to be. He had a sister, he saved her, and he had always loved fun, his center had always been fun. That was about all he knew.

"How do you know what's possible and what's not?" he snapped, because he was so frustrated at never being taken seriously—just because his center was fun and he tended to joke around a lot didn't mean he couldn't have his moments—then regretted it. Tooth was one of his best friends and the kindest person he knew. But he also didn't want to be labeled crazy by anyone other than himself, especially not a fellow Guardian. "You're starting to sound like a nonbeliever, like the adults."

Toothiana gasped and backed up. Jack wanted to take it all back. He couldn't believe he just said that. "I'm sorry, Tooth. I didn't mean it."

She looked down. Then she looked back up at him and bit her lip. "No, you're right. I trust you, Jack. I trust your judgment, and your instincts. You should have been given all of your memories back when you opened the capsule of your teeth. Maybe you could try again and see if you get anything else since it only gave you certain memories. But... I still think we should talk to North and the other Guardians before you pursue your memories and whatever else you're looking for. Your duties come first, and if you're saying what I think you're saying... We can't get too close to humans, Jack. Not children like Jamie, but adults who don't believe, and even if you're right about this..."

"I get it," he interjected. "But you know me. I hate not knowing. I feel more complete, more like a Guardian when I know who I was back then, too."

Tooth sighed. "I really wish I had more answers about why your memories went missing, Jack. Maybe the Moon did that for a reason."

Jack smirked. "Why do I get the feeling you're still not giving me the information I want?"

She smiled. "Look inside yourself, Jack. You might be surprised at what you can remember now that you know why you were chosen."

"Thank you," he snorted. "You're so helpful. Meanwhile, I've got blizzards to cause, snow days to start. I'll see you soon, Tooth." He hugged her before flying up out of Tooth Palace and letting the wind carry him as far as the weather allowed before he got to his destination.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Well, maybe I am insane," Des stated as she cradled the phone between her ear and shoulder and fished around in her drawer for some shorts. The mornings were chilly so she dressed appropriately for the cold, but by the time the afternoon rolled around the weather was always back to insane heat for December. She couldn't wait to finish school and get out of Texas, not only because she hated the weather and how it couldn't make up its mind, but there was nothing to do here besides go to the movies or Starbucks.

She glanced down at the snowflake tattoo right above her hip bone. Some people called it stupid, but that snowflake symbolized all her hopes and dreams, the life she never knew and the life she wanted in the future. Also because she loved winter and had never really experienced any real ones, so it stood for her desires. But she usually left out that part and gave the deeper meaning behind it. It was small and simple, but she loved it more than anything. She got it as soon as possible when she turned 18, and her parents still had no idea, nor would they find out. Her mom had this archaic way of thinking and would have completely disowned her if she found out.

"But you can't blame me for daydreaming these things." She decided not to press her luck and say she wasn't actually daydreaming what she had seen in the classroom. Because for all she knew she had been, or it had just been a trick of the light or something...

"I can," her best friend Myra said, "because you shouldn't be daydreaming about cold and snow and whatever. The weather is nice just the way it is."

"It is _December_. This type of weather is ungodly for October and November, let alone December. And don't try to make like you've never dreamed of a white Christmas."

"Yes, snow is freaking awesome. If it could snow without being cold, then I'd be just as enthusiastic about it as you."

Des snorted. "I highly doubt that. I just want to see the world, you know? Experience that wonder of seeing something for the first time. And knee deep snow is part of that. Who wants a snow day where there's barely even frost on the ground?"

"You know what? It sounds like to me you've just got it bad for Old Man Winter. But Jack Frost never actually comes to visit us, hun, I hate to break it to you," Myra said jokingly. "But the great part about living here," she argued, "is that we get out of school for _anything_ remotely resembling ice or snow."

"Yeah," Des replied distractedly. Even though her blinds were closed, she got the eerie feeling she was being watched. She hadn't encountered any peeping toms in this neighborhood so far, but you never knew...

She walked over to her window and made a slit in the blinds with her fingers, peeking out. The coast seemed clear. _Since when are you a paranoid freak?_

"DES!" Myra screamed and Des had to move the phone away from her ear. She decided to pull the blinds up completely so that if someone was in fact creeping on her she would catch them in the act.

"What?"

"God, I've said your name like 10 times. Why do I get the feeling you're not even listening to me anymore?"

"Sorry, I am, I promise. Hey, can I come over?"

"Uh... I guess..." Myra replied as if she were unsure. "What's really going on with you, Des?"

Des zoned out again, still searching for any sign of someone in the window. What was with today and windows? This was so, so weird.

She started to back up, still facing the window just in case, when suddenly she saw something. A small white patch, almost as if a breath had just fogged up the window. "My? Let me call you back," she said shakily as she walked forward. Even if she had really seen that, it wasn't cold enough outside for anyone's breath to do that; the heat made that basically impossible, not to mention the sunlight that seemed to directly go through the window. And there was absolutely no one out there, unless they were invisible, which she knew wasn't likely. She touched the window where she had just seen the white cloud.

Again! It happened again, right next to her hand. And the window felt surprisingly freezing even though the sunlight was making her room almost unbearably hot. She was really insane, she was going totally crazy...

Why not give into it. "Hello?" she whispered. "Look, I know I'm not just seeing things, but I have to be, right? I don't know who you are or... Or what's going on or... or if you're even actually a person or if I'm just coming up with these things because I don't have a life and I have all of one friend... Okay, I'm talking to a freaking window. I seriously have lost it. I'm just gonna close the blinds and go to Myra's house now."

She grabbed the string and pulled once, which did nothing. She angled it out and tried again, which only succeeded in lowering the blinds about half an inch. Why did they make this things so difficult? How hard could it be to just make them go all the way up and stay, then go all the way down with one pull?

Another small white cloud fogged up in a circle on the window, and Des completely paused with the blind's strings still in her hands. This had to stop. Right now. She dropped the strings and walked back up to the window. She was just about to open it when something changed; it seemed as if someone was writing in the circle, like everyone used to do when they were kids and bored on a car ride.

"He-" she started to read the only two letters written, then froze completely. She saw something, someone, floating in midair. The person trying to write her a message. Then just as quickly he was gone in a flash. A boy, about 18, with stark white hair, pale skin, and the brightest blue eyes. He didn't look real though; he looked almost holographic, or like she imagined a ghost or spirit would look-see-through and not completely there. And he was only there for a second before he was gone; he hadn't even finished the message.

She opened the window so fast it slammed at the top. "Who are you? Are you a ghost? Hello?!"

Nothing. Either the boy with the white hair was gone, or she was hallucinating the whole time.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Rise of The Guardians characters.**

Jack was violently flung to the ground from where he floated. _HE_, he had written so far in the fog of his breath on the girl's window; since he was the very embodiment of winter, no matter how hot it was where he was his breath never failed to fog up the glass. _HELLO _was his goal. He'd had no idea why he was doing this, why he was being so stupid. Sure, drawing pictures in the frost had worked to get Jamie to believe, but Jamie was a child and the only one who still believed in the other Guardians at that. This girl was an adult, and he'd succeed in making her think she was mad before making her believe by doing all of this. He was being selfish, he knew, trying to fill in the blanks in his own mind. Not very Guardian-like behavior.

And that was as far as he had gotten before feeling the wind beneath him give way as he dropped to the ground. He felt the furry large hand grabbing his iced blue hoodie and he reached back to claw at it. "Bunny! Put me down!"

"What do you think you're doing, mate?" Bunnymund asked, dangling Jack at eye level.

"Let go of me, okay?" Bunnymund let him down and Jack reached back to smooth out his hoodie while glaring angrily at his fellow Guardian.

"Hope I wasn't interrupting something," Bunnymund said in a condescending tone, knowing full well what he had done.

Jack glared at him some more. "Seriously, Bunny, you have got to let the Blizzard of '68 go."

"This isn't about the bloody Blizzard and you know it. What do you think you're doing, Jack?"

Jack brushed off his shoulders and smoothed out his hoodie with a glare. "Having a little fun," he replied. "What, is that against the rules now too? Because fun is my center, and if I recall it has saved all of us more than once."

"But this-" Bunny canted his head toward the window, referring to the girl inside-"is going to put someone in a lot of danger. She's a _human_, Jack. And an adult at that. Tooth told us all about the rest of your memories, but hanging around her nonstop is not going to bring them back."

"Then what _is_?" Jack asked, exasperated.

Bunny ignored the question. "We can't care too much for humans, Jack. Children being the exception. We put them in danger when we care too much."

"What _danger_?" The Guardian of Fun shot back. "We defeated Pitch. We're guarding childhood and keeping the world free of fear. What other danger is there?"

"Don't forget, Pitch has come back before. I'm not saying he's going to be able to come back again, but we can't be careless. And there will always be evil that we have to protect the world against, whether Pitch-"he spit the name, like it was a sour taste in his mouth-"is around or not." He grabbed the back of Jack's hoodie again, ignoring the freezing cold that radiated off the boy.

"What are you doing?" Jack cried, clawing once again at the furry paw clinging to his back.

Bunnymund smirked. "We're going to the North Pole. If I can't get through to you, maybe North can."

"Why can't you all just let me figure this one out on my own?"

Bunny sighed in exasperation. "Because," he said pointedly, because he'd just told that thick-headed boy his reason and it had gone in one ear and out the other, "if Pitch gets involved, it involves all of us. And none of us are willing to take that chance."

Jack crossed his arms over his chest. "Fine. Only for you, Bunny, I'll let it go."

Bunny snarled at him. "This isn't a game, Jack."

"I know that! And anyway, I highly doubt Pitch will come back. But I promise I'll go have my fun somewhere else. I'll figure out this memory thing another way. Now, if you would _please _put me down once and for all."

Bunnymund lowered Jack to the ground. "We're on your side, Jack. But I'm not quite sure I believe you're just going to let this go that easy. You're stubborn."

"Scout's honor," Jack said, holding up a hand. He was going to let it go and not try to make contact with the girl again... for now. He had a plan though, even if he had to go somewhere else to see it through; he was going to try to get the Man in the Moon to help him out. He hadn't really helped Jack before when he'd been going through all his '_why am I here?' _life questions, but then he had turned around and told the other Guardians he wanted Jack to be one of them. Tooth had already tried to help him out in her area of expertise, memories, but this time she couldn't, and it was obvious now North wasn't going to let Bunny-not that Bunny would anyway-or Sandy help.

* * *

Des walked outside in nothing but shorts and a spaghetti strap tank top, hands on her hips. She wasn't going to say anything just in case no one was out there and the neighbors thought she was crazy, but she was still going to look for the boy all the same.

She walked right up to her window and glanced up at it, shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight with one hand. No one. She looked in the tree near her window, thinking he probably hadn't had enough time to get away after the prank and would be hiding up there. Nothing.

She sighed, asking herself why she would even entertain this crazy notion anyway. A prank or her imagination, that's what she kept telling herself, and that's what she was sure this was, however, she didn't care enough to find out if this was a prank or not.

"Whatever," she mumbled as her phone rang. Myra was once again on the other end, asking if she was okay and why she hadn't called back yet and what was taking so long.

"I'm coming, I'm coming. It's this freaking heat. I'd take even a breeze at this point. But, as you've pointed out, a white Christmas is way too much to ask for. I just wish genies were real. That would be my first wish, and then my next wish would be that I would stop going crazy."

* * *

Jack was, in fact, hiding in the tree near the girl's window, listening to her phone conversation. He hadn't left yet, for a few more moments of nostalgia, and then she'd walked outside looking for him and of course not finding him.

"...a white Christmas is way too much to ask for. I just wish genies were real..." her melodic voice floated up to him. Jack knew he would come back and grant her wish before he even consciously thought it.


End file.
